Amber alert leads to rescue of girl abducted by sex offender, troopers say

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Alaska’s rarely used Amber Alert system paid off in a big way last night, helping alert the state of a missing youth.

According to online court records, 51-year-old Steven Narron from Fairbanks has a lengthy criminal history and Department of Public Safety Communications Director Austin McDaniel said the events leading up to his capture in Soldotna early Thursday morning were due, in part, to help from the public.

McDaniel noted that troopers were surprised by how quickly the amber alert system helped locate Narron after he allegedly abducted a teenage girl.

Narron has a lengthy history of over a dozen charges in Alaska. Details about exactly what happened in the past week still must be filled in by police, such as why this young girl was with this man, to begin with.

Alaska residents are not accustomed to receiving amber alerts on their mobile devices, but McDaniel said that troopers knew this was a case that required all hands on deck.

“The female was in imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death, which is one of those criteria markers to be able to activate the Alaska amber alert system.”

15-year-old Alexis Bane was reported missing earlier that week. Police connected her disappearance to Narron, though he was not a family member.

When asked if the case could be linked to human trafficking, McDaniel said “that’s definitely something the Alaska State Troopers investigators are looking into.”

Yesterday, investigators got a tip that Narron may be located in Anchorage. Later, a trooper in Soldotna happened to notice a white Ford SUV and attempted to pull it over.

Officials say Narron was the driver. As he took off down Sterling Highway, troopers used spike strips on the road to stop the car. That is when they found Bane in the vehicle unharmed.

McDaniel said that Narron “was driving under the influence. Right now I don’t know if that was a drug DUI or an alcohol DUI.”

Among Narron’s criminal history listed in online court records includes a 2017 conviction for third-degree sexual assault in December of 2012. State statute defines third-degree sexual assault.

“An offender commits the crime of sexual assault in the third degree if the offender (1) engages in sexual contact with a person the offender knows is (a) mentally incapable; (b) incapacitated; or (c) unaware that the sexual act is being committed.”

Narron was ordered to register as a sex offender after his conviction, but he allegedly did not comply with the order. Last Friday, a warrant was issued for his arrest for not complying with his sex offender program.

Narron is in custody at the department of corrections. Troopers say Alexis Bane is doing well, but her location is not being disclosed.

Officials say they expect to file more charges against Narron in the coming days.

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